


Somebody Catch My Breath

by Rionaa



Series: Entertain My Faith [1]
Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, I'm so sorry, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, house fire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-07
Updated: 2015-11-07
Packaged: 2018-04-30 12:53:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5164535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rionaa/pseuds/Rionaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tyler wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of the fire alarm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Somebody Catch My Breath

Tyler woke up to the sound of a shrill bell ringing right in his ear. Sleepily he blinked around, trying to work out where he had left his alarm clock. Then he remembered that he didn't have an alarm clock.

Suddenly he sat bolt upright.

"Josh!" He hissed, shaking his sleeping husband's shoulder.

"Unhh..." Grunted Josh, barely awake.

"Josh, wake up!"

"Go 'way, Tyler, 'm sleepin'"

"Josh, get up, now!"

"What?" Josh opened his eyes and blinked groggily up at Tyler.

"There's a fire alarm!"

Suddenly, Josh was fully awake. He sat up and looked around, quickly, his body tensed, ready to protect Tyler in any way he could.

"Where?"

"I dont know, it just woke me up."

"Shit!" Josh got to his feet, grabbed his phone from his night stand and ran to the door, holding it open for Tyler.

When they got to the stairwell, it became clear that the fire alarm was not a drill. The air with thick with smoke.

"Fire escape!" Cried Josh, following Tyler back into their apartment.

"If it's not a drill, I just want to grab a few things."

"Josh, there's no time!"

"There's enough time, it won't take long..."

"No, come on we need to leave!"

"No, Tyler, I'll just be a minute, but I want you to leave okay?"

"Josh..."

"I'll be fine, I'll be right behind you."

Tyler stepped out onto the fire escape, watching Josh anxiously. Josh waved reassuringly at him and he began to make his way down the fire escape.

About two floors down he was assailed by a sudden burst of heat and light. Orange light was pouring from the window beside the fire escape.

"Josh!" He called, urgently.

"I'll be like, a minute!"

Tyler ran down the rest of the fire escape and joined the small crowd by the foot of the apartment building, watching the fire grow through the windows.

When the fire reached the floor below Tyler's apartment and Josh still hadn't appeared he began to grow frantic. He stepped forward, intending to climb the fire escape and reenter his flat, but a fireman took his arm and pulled him back.

"You can't go in there."

"But my husband is still in there, he hasn't come down yet..."

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to-" the rest of the fireman's words were drowned in the explosion that came from the top floor of the building. Tongues of flame burst from the window, shattering the glass which rained like deadly snow on the crowd gathered around the foot of the building. People screamed, cowering and shielding their faces, but Tyler didn't hear or see.

"Josh!" He screamed, fighting violently against the fireman holding him back. "Josh!"

Suddenly, he was running, free of the constricting arms retaining him. He crossed the short distance to the base of the fire escape, then began to climb, taking the steps two at a time. His lungs were burning from the exertion and panic as he threw open the fire door and stared around the scene of destruction, searching with his eyes for his husband.

"Josh!" He called, breathlessly.

"Tyler?" Josh's voice sounded weak and fragile.

"Josh? Where are you?"

"Over here..." Tyler followed the sound until he saw Josh's bright red hair behind a toppled bookshelf. He darted forward and heaved at the corner of the bookshelf, lifting it off Josh's body.

"Can you move?" He asked, carefully tipping the bookshelf onto it's side. Josh's eyes were screwed up in pain, and his breathing was quick and shallow. Tyler knelt beside him and took his hand. "Josh?"

"Yeah... I... I'm fine..." Josh pushed himself into a sitting position on shaking arms, then collapsed back with a cry of pain.

"Josh! What is it? Where does it hurt?"

"Tyler, go, it's not safe, I'm sorry, please just leave me, go..." 

"No!" Tyler was crying now, unsure if it was the smoke or his emotions that were causing his tears. "Josh please, tell me..."

"My... My chest..." Josh muttered finally, then gasped in pain.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry Josh..." Tyler slid his arms under his husband's knees and shoulders and gently lifted him into his arms.

Josh screamed and gripped Tyler's upper arms so tightly he almost dropped him again.

"I'm sorry..." Tyler's voice was shaking as he adjusted Josh in his arms and took a step forward.

He almost made it to the door before the building collapsed.

The fire escape was still open from when Tyler had come through it, propped open by a piece of debris. Tyler let out an involuntary scream as the air behind him exploded. The ceiling collapsed around him and he was four feet from the door. A large chunk of plaster struck him in the back. Tyler fell. 

As he lurched forward, propelled by the force of the explosion he flung Josh towards the door.

"Tyler!" Josh cried out, twisting as he fell, terror on his face. Then he hit the fire escape and lay still, just as Tyler's head hit the ground.

***

Josh woke up five days later in hospital. He had major crush injuries, third degree burns and severe smoke inhalation and had been kept in an artificially induced coma to allow his body time to heal.

The first thing he said was, "Where's Tyler?" 

No one was able to look him in the eye.


End file.
